Renuka Rayasam

Visit kff.org to read Renuka's bio.

rrayasam@kff.org
@renurayasam

It’s 2026 and You’re Uninsured. Now What?

KFF Health News Original

Many Americans are expected to lose ACA or Medicaid coverage in coming months and years as a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the expiration of enhanced pandemic-era subsidies that helped people afford Obamacare plans. Doctors and researchers say there are still ways to find affordable care.

Es 2026 y no tienes seguro médico. ¿Y ahora qué?

KFF Health News Original

Los cambios en las políticas de salud en Washington están teniendo repercusiones en todo el país y haciendo que millones de personas pierdan su cobertura de Medicaid o de ACA. Pero hay opciones.

Cuando el seguro médico cuesta más que la hipoteca

KFF Health News Original

A pesar de las intensas discusiones y del cierre del gobierno más largo en la historia, el Congreso permitió que los subsidios mejorados de ACA expiraran el pasado 31 de diciembre.

Baltimore Drove Down Gun Deaths. Now Trump Has Slashed Funding for That Work.

KFF Health News Original

A spike in shootings during the covid pandemic propelled community violence intervention, a field that aims to stop gun deaths at the root. Baltimore used federal funds to launch a violence prevention office. But President Donald Trump has throttled such funds and instead is sending troops into cities.

The Nation’s Largest Food Aid Program Is About To See Cuts. Here’s What You Should Know.

KFF Health News Original

The federal government is making sweeping changes to SNAP, the program that helped feed about 42 million people in the U.S. last year. Here’s a breakdown of the changes to come and potential impacts.

Refugees Will Be Among the First To Lose Food Stamps Under Federal Changes

KFF Health News Original

Under the budget law that Republicans call the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, food assistance for refugees will be sliced. The change is sowing fear, uncertainty, and a struggle for survival — a sign of what’s to come for millions of Americans.

Mercury in Your Hot Dog? Vaccine Skeptics Face Their Limits at Crucial CDC Meeting

KFF Health News Original

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention meeting on vaccines pitted scientific expertise against vaccine skepticism. An often confusing debate ended with critics of the current vaccine schedule tabling a vote to remove one of its cornerstones.

Projected Surge in Uninsured Will Strain Local Health Systems

KFF Health News Original

In South Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, many people go without health insurance, and the health system struggles as a result. Similar communities dot the nation, and more could face such difficulties under President Donald Trump’s tax-and-spending law.

El aumento de personas sin seguro médico pondrá en aprietos a los sistemas de salud locales

KFF Health News Original

Las medidas del gobierno han despertado una nueva preocupación: la creciente dificultad para que médicos, hospitales y otros proveedores de salud puedan seguir atendiendo a personas sin seguro médico.

Listen: Limiting Benefits and Adding Restrictions, ‘MAHA’ Reshapes Food Aid

KFF Health News Original

The White House and congressional Republicans have made historic changes to the federal anti-hunger program SNAP. They say the changes will boost healthy eating for low-income Americans. Some nutrition experts aren’t so sure.

Guns, Race, and Profit: The Pain of America’s Other Epidemic

KFF Health News Original

Firearm violence is killing Americans at the scale of a public health epidemic. The suffering is concentrated in Black neighborhoods damaged by segregation, disinvestment, hate crimes, and other forms of racial discrimination.

Cuts to Food Benefits Stand in the Way of RFK Jr.’s Goals for a Healthier National Diet

KFF Health News Original

The Trump administration has said improving American nutrition is a priority, but deep cuts to federal food assistance could lead people to forgo healthy food in favor of cheaper alternatives.

Georgia Shows Rough Road Ahead for States as Medicaid Work Requirements Loom

KFF Health News Original

President Donald Trump signed legislation that requires many Medicaid recipients to prove they’re working to qualify for health care coverage, allocating $200 million for states that expanded Medicaid to prepare systems to verify people’s eligibility. Georgia’s program, which has been expensive and difficult to administer, has had limited enrollment.

El megaproyecto de ley republicano supondrá más costos de salud para muchos estadounidenses

KFF Health News Original

Esto, a su vez, perjudicaría las finanzas de hospitales, residencias de adultos mayores y centros de salud comunitarios, y podría obligarlos a reducir servicios y personal, hasta a cerrar instalaciones.

Republican Megabill Will Mean Higher Health Costs for Many Americans

KFF Health News Original

Spending cuts hitting medical providers, Medicaid and Affordable Care Act enrollees, and lawfully present immigrants are just some of the biggest changes the GOP has in store for health care — with ramifications that could touch all Americans.

In a First, Trump and GOP-Led Congress Prepare To Swell Ranks of US Uninsured

KFF Health News Original

Fewer Americans will likely have health insurance, compromising their physical and financial health, as the Trump administration and GOP-controlled Congress weigh major changes to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. “The effects could be catastrophic,” one policy analyst predicts.